Talk:Space Jam - Misplaced Pages

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Space Jam was a Media and drama good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.

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November 1, 2010	Good article nominee	Not listed

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Reference to MIB?

"One scene references Pulp Fiction, with Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam dressed as killers and "Misirlou" in the background. This is also presumably a reference to Men In Black." Didn't Men in Black come out in 1997? If so, how can this film, released in 1996, reference it? Undersea

how old are you wack'd about wiki? This was a childrens movie and was aimed mainly towards them,note the comic actions and exaggerations done by the characters to show they're intentions. This was a great movie that iloved when iwas 4yrs old and still do. this movie beats shaq's Kazaam by a thousand.24.66.94.140 19:49, 4 September 2006 (UTC)hope.

Actually, I heard one person curse in the film. 99.19.92.173 (talk) 21:43, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Yep, one coach said "What the hell's going on?"

Canon

"Reviews of the movie were generally negative. Many critics compared it unfavorably to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a popular film in which cartoon characters and live-action humans coexisted in the same film as well. Basketball fans thought the movie to be demeaning to the sport, and to Michael Jordan himself. Many of them also claim it was not canon, despite referencing real-life events."

Who claims it's not canon? Basketball fans? This appears to be saying that basketball fans refuse to accept that Space Jam actually happened to Michael Jordan. I'd change it, but I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be saying Lore Sjoberg 22:17, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Success or Failure

Alright, alright, I'm totally confused. The movie was successful or negative? The reception or the movie says that "Reviews of the movie were generally negative.", but the Looney Tunes article says that "Space Jam was somewhat succesful despite it's odd plot". Space Jam is good or bad? User:Leader Vladimir

In the article now it says "The films response was generally mixed". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.239.44.204 (talk) 07:26, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Answer to your questions

Actually, the film got negative reviews. The film itself grossed well over 90 million dollars, making it a success. However, negative and successful may lie in the eye of the journalist!

By JS

Then, in conclusion, Space Jam is both a critical failure and a financial success. User:Leader Vladimir

Final Score between Monstars and Toon Squad

I watched the Vcd yesterday and the final score of the basketball game between the Monstars and the Toon Squad was 77-78. How could it be 86-88? User: Ken Seng1991

It's really a trivial detail- it's enough to say "they won". --Wafulz 05:43, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Nerdlucks

I think the Nerdlucks should have their own page. You know, with more specific character descriptions and pictures. I know there is a page for themselves along with the Monstars, but it's much too basic.--Sharpay Evans 07:46, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually I think the Monstars page needs to be merged into here. This article is poorly written and way too long. It doesn't need sub-articles right now. --Wafulz 15:31, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

The movie's credits says the names of the five NERDLUCKS/MONSTARS are POUND, BLANKO, BUPKUS, NAWT and BANG. However, the article says that four of them are named NULL, NADA, ZILCH and VOID. I didn't get it.Brazilian Man 14:02, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Plot summary

At over 1000 words, the "plot summary" was actually a blow-by-blow account of the film. I've replaced it with a more encyclopedic (and much briefer) one from an older revision of the article . --Tony Sidaway 03:21, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Props to ya! Thanks; I couldn't seem to accomplish trimming down the plot "summary" myself, as I may be too close to the subject. Once again, thanks! — Cinemaniac (talk • contribs) 03:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

The plot summary was brilliant. Whoever took the time to describe every detail of the movie, I appreciate you. Space Jam is a forgotten gem. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chachanandler (talk • contribs) 02:36, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

It doesn't matter. A plot summary that long violates Misplaced Pages standards and should be trimmed down significantly to only include important plot points. I myself have attempted to do this several times, but the corrections are constantly being reverted by IP addresses. It would be wise to consider putting a protection lock on the page to keep unregistered users from undoing the improvements again. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 18:59, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

I agree with Chachanandler. Plus, that user clearly stated that your edits were not, in fact, improvements. 99.19.92.173 (talk) 21:14, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Hmm, I seem to be getting no reply. Maybe no one's online. 99.19.92.173 (talk) 23:46, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

I suggest you read through Misplaced Pages:How to write a plot summary, because it clearly states that the plot summary should not cover every scene and every moment of a story. The goal is to summarize the story in a short and accessible manner, not regurgitate the details. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 07:10, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

I read the summary, and it's just as bad as your previous edit. Try going to my talk page and we'll discuss the situation. 99.19.92.173 (talk) 13:44, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Well "bad" or not, those are the rules on Misplaced Pages, and if you choose to continue not following them, then that technically makes you a vandal, which we try to keep out around here. So please start following the rules if you wish to stay here. Cat's Tuxedo (talk) 16:20, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Hornet coach?

Does anyone know who played the Charlotte Hornets coach whose reaction was shown after Muggsy Bogues lost his talent? I think it was an actor they used as a stand-in for Allan Bristow, who was the real-life Hornet coach around the period this would have covered. WAVY 10 Fan (talk) 16:40, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Eric Gordon

The Eric Gordon in this movie is not the basketball player for the Clippers. It's a totally different person. He's denied it several times, Michael Jordan has denied it several times. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.149.17.32 (talk) 04:07, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Merge proposal

i've suggested merging Monstars into this article - it's effectively orphaned, and only discusses the plot of the movie - i think it could have better usage in this article -TinGrin 19:22, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree, Monstars should be merged into this article. Jlhiowa (talk) 05:10, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Yeah. They were really important to the film. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.163.72.150 (talk) 17:42, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Space Jam 2

Excuse me, but does anyone know a source of reference for this supposed "Space Jam 2" that I read in this article? I find it hard to believe, and there aren't any references for it either... - Smashman202 (talk) 04:14, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

That's totally dumb. You might be talking about Looney Tunes: Back in Action. 99.19.92.173 (talk) 14:48, 26 November 2009 (UTC)

Space Jam itself could recieve a sequel in 2012 or 2013. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.142.141.65 (talk) 00:26, 21 June 2010 (UTC)

Origins of the film

My memory is a bit fuzzy on this, but didn't the idea of Space Jam come from some commercials? I seem to remember some commercials for Nike that Michael Jordan appeared in, in the early 90s, alongside Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian. Marvin was, as usual, trying to destroy Earth, and Michael would help Bugs defeat him. When Space Jam came out, I remember thinking that the idea for it had come from those commercials.

69.204.31.191 (talk) 13:23, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

Of course!! Railer-man (talk) 16:28, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

Additional Changes to the Film Page

We are working on a project for english class.

This article was the subject of an educational assignment that ended on 17 November 2009. Further details are available here.

We have a few suggestions to make this page better. For instance,we would like to make a few grammatical changes that we found.(jphodges,talesser,Rkharper8) Also we would like to add to the soundtrack heading, and find more information on the critic review.Additional feedback would be appreciated! --Rkharper8 (talk) 19:55, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Name of the film

Does anyone know where the name "space jam" came from? I'd sort of assumed it was some basketball terminology, but it's not listed on the disambiguation page. It would be useful to add to the article if we know. -mattbuck (Talk) 14:51, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

GA Review

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This review is transcluded from Talk:Space Jam/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Wizardman _{Operation Big Bear} 04:22, 29 October 2010 (UTC) After reading through this article, I don't think it's ready for GA status yet. Here are the following issues I found:

Most importantly, and what makes this an auto-fail, is that there's no production information. Any GA film article is going to have something on the cast selection, production development, etc. Take a look at different GAs, such as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Close Encounters of the Third Kind to get an idea of what's needed for that section. You kind of have a start with the cast section, but..
The cast section should be trimmed to focus on the main/secondary characters. Adding in nearly all of them doesn't help much. To throw another film GA out there, use No Country for Old Men (film) as an example of what to make. Cites are not required for the cast and plot section unless a direct quote or controversial thing is noted.
The reception section is better, but can be expanded on. Siskel and Ebert's review needs a cite, as does Maltin's. Use a few of the reviews found on rottentomatoes to make a section with some positive and some negative reviews counterbalancing each other. It says that it received mixed reviews, but you don't feel that when reading it.
You write that it opened at #1 in the lead, but it's left out of the box office section; add that in there.
Pop culture sections are frowned upon. Even if they can be cited my suggestion would be to axe it.
The NBA players section can be modified and expanded. I'm sure many of the players have commented on them either being part of their movie, or their playing in the film itself, for those that were bad. That would definitely make for an exciting addition.
The plot section is mostly fine. The lead is for now, but after everything else is fixed this will probably need expanding (do that last)

While the article has a long way to go for a GA, I think that the above can make it a GA-quality article. It sounds like a lot, but once things start falling in place it should be a breeze. If you would like help, the Film WikiProject is one of our stronger ones, I'm sure one of them will be glad to give you some pointers. Wizardman _{Operation Big Bear} 04:22, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

"Manner Washington as Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Jordan's oldest son. Eric Gordon as Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan's youngest son." He has two sons. That should be older and younger. -est os for three or more.24.12.72.50 (talk) 01:04, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

En fait...

I didn't just write the article alone -- a lot of people pitched in, but they just don't know what an encyclopedia is. Railer-man (talk) 21:55, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Don't get discouraged. Looking through the article's history, I can see that it has definitely improved. There's just a little more work to go yet. Quadzilla99 (talk) 02:19, 1 November 2010 (UTC)

Improvements to the article

Here's what this needs:

-Production history, especially!! -More reception -This film's soundtrack should be merged with this artcle. -Expand the lead section, with a brief summary on the plot, development history, etc. -Find sources for the awards!!

Those are just a few of my suggestions. I'll work on finding sources. Railer-man (talk) 19:11, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

Actually, here's a page from the official Space Jam site. That could help:

Railer-man (talk) 19:14, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

List of Looney Tunes cameos

Hi - of of the key points of this film was the various Looney Tunes characters that made cameos in it. There should be a section here for that in the article. 96.238.196.23 (talk) 06:45, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

I think that would be a great idea! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.85.7.191 (talk) 14:23, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

Reception

The lead sentence says that it mostly negative reviews, but thats not what the rest of the section feels like. Aside from the rotten tomatoes thing, it sounds positive, or at the very least mixed. Should this be changed? Wikipediman23 (talk) 04:15, 13 August 2012 (UTC)

Revision

What's wrong with this revision of the article?

Jdogno5 (talk) 03:45, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

This article is about the motion picture. For other uses, see Space Jam (disambiguation).

Space Jam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joe Pytka
Written by	Leo Benvenuti Steve Rudnick Timothy Harris Herschel Weingrod
Produced by	Ivan Reitman Joe Medjuck Daniel Goldberg
Starring	Michael Jordan Wayne Knight Theresa Randle Danny DeVito (voice)
Cinematography	Michael Chapman
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn
Music by	James Newton Howard
Production companies	Northern Lights Entertainment Courtside Seats Productions Warner Bros. Animation
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Release date	November 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Box office	$230,418,342

Space Jam is a 1996 American family live-action/animated sports comedy film starring Michael Jordan and featuring the Looney Tunes characters. The film was produced by Ivan Reitman, and directed by Joe Pytka, with Tony Cervone and Bruce W. Smith directing the animation.

A fictional account of Jordan's first retirement from the NBA, the film was released theatrically by Warner Bros. under the Family Entertainment brand label on November 15, 1996. It plays out as an alternate story of Jordan's initial return to basketball, this time with him being inspired by Bugs Bunny and friends. Despite mixed reviews from critics, Space Jam was a box office success, opening at #1 in the US and grossing over $230 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1993, professional basketball player Michael Jordan announces his retirement from the NBA to follow in his father's footsteps and turns to a career in baseball. Despite his popularity, Michael's talent for baseball is nowhere near his talent for basketball. Meanwhile the Nerdlucks, a group of criminal aliens led by their boss Mister Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito), plot to capture the Looney Tunes, who really exist in a secret animated world called Looney Tune Land (hidden at the center of the Earth), and make them their newest attractions at Moron Mountain, a failing amusement park. Swackhammer believes enslaving the Tunes in this way will bring in more customers and save Moron Mountain from foreclosure.

They arrive in Tune Land, and since the aliens aren't very intelligent or tall, the Tunes bargain for their freedom by challenging the Nerdlucks to a basketball game. To ensure their victory, the Nerdlucks return to Earth and steal the talent of Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues, and Shawn Bradley, who are rendered incapable of playing basketball as a result. The Nerdlucks use the stolen talent to transform into gigantic creatures—now called the Monstars—that the Looney Tunes are unable to defeat.

To help them win, the Tunes choose, abduct and recruit Michael to help them play, and Michael reluctantly agrees to help after the Monstars squash him into the shape of a basketball and bounce him around like one. A new arrival named Lola Bunny is added to the team thanks to her talent. Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny go to Michael's house to collect what he needs to play, barely dodging his family dog Charles. Michael's publicist Stan (Wayne Knight) sees Bugs and Daffy return to Tune Land and follows them, and stays to support Michael, whose team will be called the Tune Squad.

Back on Earth, the sudden inability to play basketball inflicting on five top NBA players, captures the attention of the media, and the rest of the NBA, as more and more NBA teams refuse to take the court, fearing the same phenomena will attack them. The five NBA players themselves, go through a series of physical, medical, psychological and spiritual tests to figure out why they have no talent anymore, to no avail. Eventually all NBA stadiums are quarantined and the season is declared officially over until further notice.

Back in Looney Tune land, the two teams take the court. Despite Michael's leadership, the Monstars dominate the first half of the game. Stan sneaks into the Monstars' locker room and overhears them talking about how they stole the talent from the NBA players, but he is detected despite hiding in a locker and scorched as a result. Stan then informs Michael and the Tune Squad that the Monstars stole the talent from the NBA players. Bugs then motivates the team with a "special drink", and the Monstars' commanding lead is reduced to a significantly smaller margin. Seeing Swackhammer angry that the Monstars did not steal Michael's talent, Michael takes the chance to raise the stakes. If the Tune Squad wins, the Monstars must give the NBA players their talent back, but if they lose, then Swackhammer is to spare the Looney Tunes in exchange for Michael. He readily accepts it and Bugs tries to talk him out of it, all the while being aware of what it means if Michael is subjected to humiliation on Moron Mountain for all time.

As the game resumes, the Monstars, under orders from Swackhammer, begin playing even dirtier than before. As a result, the Looney Tunes are injured, one by one, until only Michael, Bugs, Lola and Daffy are left, leaving them short one player. Reluctantly, Michael puts Stan in the game, and though he is quickly taken out of action, the Monstars' lead is now down to one. Marvin the Martian, who is the referee, tells them that if there is no fifth player, the team will forfeit the game. At the last second, Bill Murray, who had played golf with Michael earlier in the film, appears in the stadium and joins the team, breaking the fourth wall along the way.

With only seconds left, Bill pulls some clever manueuvering and gets the ball to Michael. Extending his arm to superhuman lengths (since the laws of physics work differently in Tune Land), Michael makes the basket and wins the game. Although Bill has always dreamed of being an NBA player, and Michael is impressed with his skills, Bill decides to retire from basketball forever. Michael then helps the Monstars realize that they're bigger than Mister Swackhammer, who confronts them for losing. Fed up with their abusive boss, the Monstars tie him up to a rocket and send him to the moon. At Michael's request, they reluctantly return the stolen talent to the other players by transferring them to a basketball, which is how they stored the stolen talent earlier in the film. This reverts the Monstars back to the tiny Nerdlucks. Refusing to return to Moron Mountain, the Nerdlucks decide to stay with the Looney Tunes, who only agree if the Nerdlucks can prove themselves to be 'Looney', which they arguably complete on the spot.

Afterwards, Michael and Stan returns to Earth in the Nerdlucks' spaceship, where Michael makes a dramatic appearance by Stan at a baseball game to the cheers of the audience, despite being late. The next day, Michael and Stan gives the stolen talent back to the NBA players, who immediately regain their lost skills. Michael is later prompted by his rivals to return to the NBA, mirroring his real-life comeback with the Chicago Bulls.

Cast

Live Action-Cast

Michael Jordan as as himself, a professional basketball player who retires from the NBA to pursue a career in baseball, which is what his father wanted him to do. He is pulled into the world of the Looney Tunes and is persuaded into playing basketball with them, despite his insistence that he only plays baseball now. He is the live-action protagonist of the film.
- Brandon Hammond portrays Michael Jordan as a ten-year-old.
Wayne Knight as Stan Podolak, the publicist of Michael Jordan and his family. Stan is a good-hearted guy and he is ecstatic to be working for Michael Jordan. At first, Michael Jordan finds him annoying but they become friends eventually. He joins Michael Jordan and his team to play against the Monstars.
Theresa Randle as Juanita Jordan, Michael Jordan's supportive wife. The character is based on Jordan's real life wife at the time.
Manner Washington as Jeffrey Jordan, Michael Jordan's oldest son.
Eric Gordon as Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan's youngest son.
Penny Bae Bridges as Jasmine Jordan, Michael Jordan's daughter.
Larry Bird as himself, one of Michael Jordan's friends and golfing partners. He crushes Bill Murray's dream of playing in the NBA.
Bill Murray as himself, one of Michael Jordan's friends and an aspiring basketball player, though Jordan doubts his abilities. He is a self-proclaimed friend of the producer of the film, which allows him to join the Looney Tunes' team when they are short one player. Following his play with the Tune Squad, Murray impresses Jordan but decides to retire.
Thom Barry as James Jordan, Michael Jordan's father.
Del Harris, NBA coach, as himself
Charles Barkley as himself, of the Phoenix Suns, who gets his talent stolen by Pound.
Patrick Ewing as himself, of the New York Knicks, who gets his talent stolen by Bang.
Shawn Bradley as himself, of the Philadelphia 76ers, who gets his talent stolen by Blanko.
Larry Johnson as himself, of the Charlotte Hornets, who gets his talent stolen by Bupkus.
Muggsy Bogues as himself, of the Charlotte Hornets, who gets his talent stolen by Nawt.

Of the five players whose talents were stolen, three of them were playing for different teams in real life by the time the film was released: Barkley was playing for the Houston Rockets, Bradley for the New Jersey Nets, and Johnson now a teammate of Ewing's on the Knicks.

Ahmad Rashad, Del Harris, Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos, Jim Rome, Paul Westphal and Danny Ainge appear as themselves in the film. Bebe Drake appears as a housekeeper for Michael Jordan. Dan Castellaneta and Patricia Heaton make cameo appearances as a couple that the Nerdlucks (in disguise) sit next to at a basketball game.

Voice cast

Because the movie was made after the death of Mel Blanc, the character voices he originated were performed by other actors:

Billy West provides the voices of:
- Bugs Bunny, a Flatbush-accented rabbit who acts as the de facto leader of the Looney Tunes and plays on their basketball team. He is the animated protagonist of the film.
- Elmer Fudd, a big-game hunter who seeks Bugs Bunny's demise. He plays for the Looney Tunes' team
Dee Bradley Baker provides the voices of:
- Daffy Duck, a greedy glory-hound duck and rival of Bugs Bunny who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
- The Tasmanian Devil, a ravenous and crazed marsupial who plays on the Looney Tunes' team.
- Toro, a bull that attacks the Monstar Pound during the game after Daffy paints his shorts red.
Danny DeVito provides the voice of Mister Swackhammer, the main antagonist of the film. He is the proprietor of the theme park "Moron Mountain", for which he seeks new attractions to save his failing buisness. He acts as the coach of the Monstars, who double as his minions.
Bob Bergen provides the voices of:
- Hubie and Bertie, a pair of mice who act as the commentators of the game. Credited as "Herbie" and "Bert" respectively
- Marvin the Martian, an extraterrestrial who acts as the game's referee.
- Porky Pig, a stuttering pig who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
- Tweety, a small Yellow Canary who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
Bill Farmer provides the voices of:
- Sylvester, a tuxedo cat who seeks to devour Tweety. He plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
- Yosemite Sam, a short-tempered and extremely grouchy Western outlaw who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
- Foghorn Leghorn, a large Kentucky-accented rooster who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
- The Road Runner
June Foray provides the voice of:
- Granny, an elderly woman who acts as a cheerleader for the Looney Tunes' team.
- Witch Hazel, a witch who acts as a cheerleader for the Looney Tunes' team.
Maurice LaMarche provides the voice of Pepé Le Pew, a French-accented skunk who plays for the Looney Tunes' team.
Kath Soucie provides the voice of Lola Bunny, a voluptuous female rabbit who plays for the Looney Tunes' team. She is Bug's love interest and becomes his girlfriend at the end of the film.
Colleen Wainwright provides the voice of Sniffles. Wainright also voiced Nerdluck Nawt.
Frank Welker provides the voice for Charles, Michael's pet bulldog who menaces both Bugs and Daffy when they are in Michael's house.

The voices of the Nerdlucks are provided by Jocelyn Blue (Pound), Charity James (Blanko), June Melby (Bang), Catherine Reitman (Bupkus) and Colleen Wainwright (Nawt); the voices of the Monstars are provided by Darnell Suttles (Pound), Steve Kehela (Blanko), Joey Camen (Bang), Dorian Harewood (Bupkus) and T.K. Carter (Nawt).

Trivia

During their first meeting Pound (in monster form) tells Michael Jordan "You heard of the Dream Team? Well we're the mean team!". Jordan and two players robbed of their talents in the film, Barkley and Ewing, were all members of the Olympic gold medal-winning 1992 United States team.
Bugs and the other Looney Tunes are shown to reside in Looney Tune Land, a realm located beneath earth's surface. Only two known portals to Looney Tune Land exist, one lying beneath a Piggly Wiggly parking lot in suburban Birmingham, Alabama (also the home of Michael Jordan's minor-league baseball team the Birmingham Barons), the other accessible from a tunnel beneath an unspecified hole on a golf course in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Each portal consists of a membranous elastomer imprinted with the Warner Bros. studio shield (anywhere from 20-50 feet in diameter). The portal can be stretched and punctured by a projectile, admitting persons or vehicles into the skies of Looney Tune Land.
Daffy tells Bugs that they should name their basketball team with Jordan "the Ducks". Bugs replies with this potshot at WB rival Disney: "What kind of Mickey Mouse organization would call a team 'The Ducks'?" - a reference to Disney's The Mighty Ducks (who are also a real team), as well as Wayne Gretzky's comments concerning the New Jersey Devils in the 1980s. This also reminds viewers of Oregon's Oregon Ducks who's mascot (The Oregon Duck) is contracted out by Disney
Dan Castellaneta, better known as the voice of Homer Simpson, stars as the male fan who sits next to the aliens at the Basketball game. It is ironic that Castellaneta, who has won several Emmy awards for his voice work, stars in a live action role in an animated movie. His wife is played by Patricia Heaton.
One scene references Pulp Fiction, with Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam dressed as killers and "Misirlou" in the background. This is also presumably a reference to Men In Black.
The movie was inspired by Nike commercials featuring Michael and Bugs against Marvin and an alien.

Another Nike commercial is referenced when Larry Johnson says that his grandmother can play better than him (he played his grandmother in an ad).

When sending Bugs and Daffy to pick up his basketball gear, Michael Jordan tells them that he wore his UNC basketball shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform in every game he played. Jordan really did do this, as a good luck charm.
The song that Foghorn Leghorn was singing on the basketball court (oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton...) was "Dixie" .
Mr. Swackhammer, the antagonist of the movie, mistakes Bill Murray for Dan Aykroyd during the basketball game.
This was the first live-action/animated film ever to be based on various classic Warner Bros. animated cartoons.
Bugs Bunny talks to the camera only in the first half of the film, the rest with Michael Jordan.
When one looks at the Monstars, one can assume that Nawt (the red one) took Muggsy Bogues's talent, Bang (the green one) took Patrick Ewing's talent, Pound (the orange one) took Charles Barkley's talent, Blanko (the blue one) took Shawn Bradley's talent and Bupkus took Larry Johnson's talent.
Bill Murray keeps changing his mind about wanting to play in the NBA.
A few pieces of animation made for this movie were reused in commercial bumpers on Kids' WB! in the late '90s.
A portrait of Bosko can be seen on the wall when Yosemite Sam remarks, "We ain't-a goin' nowheres!"
At one point, the Looney Tunes can be seen exercising while watching a Richard Simmons tape.
The character Stan makes this quote:"C'mon, Michael, it's game time. Slip on your Hanes, lace up your Nikes, take your Wheaties and your Gatorade, and we'll grab a Big Mac on the way to the ballpark", humorizing Jordan's sports product brand endorsement
Excluding the events involving the Looney Tunes, the story loosely mirrors Jordan's real life. After the murder of his father, Vernon Jordan, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from basketball and later signed with the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team. Soon after, after posting lackluster numbers with the Barons, he returned to the Chicago Bulls for one more season before retiring from active play for good. Vernon Jordan's death is not referenced in the film.
Ironically, Eric Gordon played Marcus Jordan in a high school game between Gordon's North Central High School and Jordan's Loyola Academy. Gordon acted as Marcus Jordan in the movie.
All the Nerdlucks have names that mean, in one way or another, zero or nothing.
When Bill Murray arrives at the game near the end of the movie to help Jordan and the Looney Tunes, he is mistaken for Dan Aykroyd by one of the characters. Shortly after, Daffy asks Murray about how he arrive, to which Murray replies how he's a friend of the producer and was dropped off. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Space Jam's producer Ivan Reitman all starred together in the popular Ghostbusters franchise in the 80s.
When the official novelization of the movie was released, it contained some differences from the film, omitting Bill Murray's role. Instead, the Road Runner became the fifth player after Stan was flattened and scored the penultimate goal of the game.
This is the third time Road Runner is actually injured, albeit by the Monstars rather than Wile E. Coyote (the first was in a Looney Tunes cartoon where Bugs, as a stand-in for Road Runner, mentions he 'sprained the old giblet' and the second in the Tiny Toon Adventures movie).
This was the first time that Bugs received serious injury on multiple occasions.

Influence

After the release of Space Jam, the film became one of the most popular films for kids growing up at the time. The movie also led to a series of NBA commercials with their "I love this game!" campaign, which showed snippets of the movie and a slam dunk contest with "I Believe I Can Fly" in the background. Michael Jordan went on to continue his commercials, with a few appearances by Bugs Bunny. Lola Bunny became the mascot for the WNBA, which at the time was just emerging. Not a lot of production companies were interested in doing live action/animation movies, probably because of its big budget.

Music

Main article: Space Jam (soundtrack)

The soundtrack sold enough albums to be certified as 6x Platinum. It also served as a high point for musical artist R. Kelly, whose song "I Believe I Can Fly" not only was a hit, but earned him two Grammy Awards. Other tracks included a cover of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle" (by Seal), "Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)" (by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man), "Basketball Jones" (by Chris Rock & Barry White), and "For You I Will" (by Monica), and "My Girl" by the Temptations. The movie's title song was performed by the Quad City DJ's.

Merchandise

Video games

There was a licensed pinball game by Sega based on the film and a video game for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Windows PC by Acclaim.

Home media

The film was released on VHS, DVD, and Laserdisc on March 11, 1997 (the VHS version was sold with a collector's coin included). On October 28, 2003 the film was released as a 2-disc special edition DVD including newly made extras such as a commentary track and a featurette. On November 6, 2007 the movie was featured as one of the films in Warner Brothers's 4-Film Favorites: Family Comedies collection DVD (The other 3 films being Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Osmosis Jones and Funky Monkey). On February 8, 2011 the first disc of the previous 2-disc edition was released by itself in a movie only edition DVD, and later that same year on October 4, 2011 the film was released for the first time in widescreen HD on Blu-ray which, save for an hour of classic Looney Tunes shorts, ported over all the extras from the 2003 2-disc edition DVD.

Toys

Toys were released coinciding with the film. such as Happy Meal Promotion, Action Figures, Stuffed Toys, etc.

Reception

Critical response

Space Jam received mixed reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 35% based on 49 reviews.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave Space Jam a "thumbs up," which Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film, although his zeal was more subdued. Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the film for its humor. He also praised the Looney Tunes' antics and Jordan's acting. Although Janet Maslin of The New York Times criticized the film's animation, she later went on to say that the film is a "fond tribute to past."

Veteran Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones was highly critical of the film. In a 1998 interview, he expressed his views that the film was "terrible" and said, as a man who worked with the characters for almost thirty years, the story was deeply flawed. "I can tell you, with the utmost confidence," he said, "Porky Pig would never say 'I think I wet myself'". He also added that, were the film more true to the source material, "Bugs wouldn't have needed anyone's help, and moreover, it wouldn't have taken him an hour and a half. Those aliens, whether they were tiny or colossal, would've been dealt with in short order come the seven minute mark."

Box office

Space Jam was a box office success. At the end of its run, it grossed $90,418,342 in the United States and over $230,000,000 internationally. It is the highest grossing basketball movie of all time.

Accolades

1997 and 1998 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
- Won: Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures (Diane Warren for the song "For You I Will")
- Won: Top Box Office Films (James Newton Howard)

1997 Annie Awards
- Won: Best Individual Achievement: Technical Achievement
- Nomination: Best Animated Feature
- Nomination: Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a Feature Production (Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone)
- Nomination: Best Individual Achievement: Producing in a Feature Production (Ron Tippe)

1998 Grammy Awards
- Won: Best Song Written Specifically for Motion Picture or for Television (R. Kelly for the song "I Believe I Can Fly")

1997 MTV Movie Awards
- Nomination: Best Movie Song (R. Kelly for the song "I Believe I Can Fly")

1997 Satellite Awards
- Nomination: Best Motion Picture- Animated or Mixed Media (Daniel Goldberg, Joe Medjuck, Ivan Reitman)

1998 World Animation Celebration
- Won: Best Use of Animation in a Motion Picture Trailer

1997 Young Artist Awards
- Nomination: Best Family Feature- Animation or Special Effects

In other media

The Monstars make a cameo in the Pinky and the Brain / Animaniacs episode "Star Warners" (a parody of Star Wars). Jordan himself, who was a spokesman for MCI Communications before the film was made, would appear with the Looney Tunes characters (as "his Space Jam buddies") in several MCI commercials for several years after the film was released before merging with WorldCom and subsequently Verizon Communications.

Possible sequel

In February 2014, Warner Bros. announced a sequel, set to star professional basketball player LeBron James. Charlie Ebersol will produce through his production company, The Company, with a script by his brother, Willie Ebersol. Jon Berg will executive produce. However, representatives of James denied the claim that he would be involved.

References

^ Maslin, Janet (1995-11-15). "Icons Meet: Bugs, Daffy And Jordan". NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2URMB4NGbo8
"RIAA Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". Retrieved 2009-01-23.
"Grammy- Past Winners Search". Grammy. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
"Space Jam". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
McCarthy, Todd (1996-11-17). "Space Jam". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
Thompson, Trevor. "My Conversation with Chuck Jones". The Booo Tooons Blooog. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
"Space Jam (1996)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=basketball.htm
Porter, David L. Michael Jordan: A Biography, Greenwood Publishing Group 2007. ISBN 0-313-33767-5
Busch, Anita (February 21, 2014). "Ebersols Aboard To Produce And Script Warner Bros' 'Space Jam 2′ As A Starring Vehicle For LeBron James". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
Windhorst, Brian (February 21, 2014). "Well it was fun while it lasted. LeBron sources refute Deadline report, there's no Space Jam 2 or Warner Bros. project in works". Twitter. Retrieved February 22, 2014.

External links

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

Studios

Harman-Ising Productions (1930–1933)
Leon Schlesinger Productions (1933–1944)
Warner Bros. Cartoons (1944–1964)
DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (1964–1967, 1979–1980)
Format Films (1965–1967)
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967–1969)
Chuck Jones Enterprises (1976–1980, 1994–1997)
Warner Bros. Animation (1980–present)

People

Characters

Major

Secondary

Shorts

Feature films

Compilations	The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island Daffy Duck's Quackbusters The Looney Tunes Hall of Fame
Feature-length theatrical animated	The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Live-action/animation	Space Jam Looney Tunes: Back in Action Space Jam: A New Legacy Coyote vs. Acme
Direct-to-video	Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation Tweety's High-Flying Adventure Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam King Tweety Taz: Quest for Burger
Documentaries	Bugs Bunny: Superstar Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons Chuck Amuck: The Movie

Television
series

Compilations	The Bugs Bunny Show The Porky Pig Show The Road Runner Show The Merrie Melodies Show Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends Bugs 'n' Daffy
Originals	Tiny Toon Adventures Taz-Mania The Plucky Duck Show Animaniacs Pinky and the Brain The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain Baby Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Loonatics Unleashed The Looney Tunes Show Wabbit/New Looney Tunes Looney Tunes Cartoons Animaniacs 2020 Bugs Bunny Builders Tiny Toons Looniversity

Television
specials

Music/songs

Attractions

Other

Category

v t e Michael Jordan
Achievements
Main	The Shot Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals 1982 NCAA Championship Game Air Jordan (Jumpman) Jordan Rules Flu Game shoes Last Dance shoes
Family	James R. Jordan Sr. (father) Larry Jordan (brother) Jeffrey Jordan (son) Marcus Jordan (son) Yvette Prieto (wife) Rakeem Christmas (son-in-law)
Books	The Jordan Rules (1992) When Nothing Else Matters (2004)
Film and television	ProStars (1991) Space Jam (1996) Michael Jordan: An American Hero (1999) Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) Like Mike (2002) Like Mike 2: Streetball (2006) The Last Dance (2020) Air (2023)
Video games	Jordan vs. Bird: One on One (1988) Michael Jordan in Flight (1993) Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (1994) Space Jam (1996) NBA 2K11 (2010) NBA 2K12 (2011) NBA 2K16 (2015) NBA 2K23 (2022)
Other	Michael Jordan statue Michael Jordan's Restaurant Michael Jordan's Steak House "Stop it. Get some help." (1987) Michael Jackson's "Jam" (1992) "Be Like Mike" (1992) "Second Generation" (2006) Buckethead's "Jordan" (2009) Crying Jordan 23XI Racing
Category

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